Sunday, December 19, 2010
Rock at Beach
Rock runs at beach without his leash usually. The beach is the ideal place for a dog, especially in winter when there are few people. Rock can't wander because of the dunes so we can go at a pretty good pace up and down. I've found two really nice shells also.
Inside the renovation Part 2
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
New in March 2010
Life is Beautiful, Italian. Charlie Chaplin-like waiter is rounded up by the Nazis in Italy, along with his son and wife. It was so funny and sad, altogether at the same time. Most, however, it will teach you something about attitude and courage. A scene not to be missed: the waiter "translates" the rules to fellow prisoners for a Nazi guard at a prison camp.
More Februrary Movies
Wings of a Dove--British movie about sick, rich American girl in Venice and a British aristocratic but poor girl and her poor journalist boyfriend. Based on a Henry James novel. The British woman and man play a game with the terminally ill American in order to gain her loot. It was so so for me. Not quite as good as a Merchant Ivory move.
Star Trek, The Original Series. I watched a few episodes of this 60s TV series after having been inspired by the rebooted new movie. What a creative show it was--the acting was great, the imagination, the set and costumes.
Hunger, Irish. About IRA members imprisoned in Britain and how they revolted with hunger strikes. Really, really revolting movie, in fact it is a punishment to watch this! I watched the director commentary and I guess he wanted to go for the visceral effect. I have to wonder if the movie acturately reflected the spirit of the real events.
Star Trek, The Original Series. I watched a few episodes of this 60s TV series after having been inspired by the rebooted new movie. What a creative show it was--the acting was great, the imagination, the set and costumes.
Hunger, Irish. About IRA members imprisoned in Britain and how they revolted with hunger strikes. Really, really revolting movie, in fact it is a punishment to watch this! I watched the director commentary and I guess he wanted to go for the visceral effect. I have to wonder if the movie acturately reflected the spirit of the real events.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Fear This
Paranormal Activity. $15,000 movie that was a big hit at the theatres. A young couple, she's an English college major, he's a day trader, start filming night-time activities to catch what is making noises and moving things. Like The Blair Witch Project, it's supposed to be all real life just as a real couple would film themselves. The really creepy part usually starts at some time around 2am in the morning and then you start feeling primal fear. No blood really, no scary monsters that you can see, but it is very effective.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Two more movies in February
Blood and Chocolate, 2004. This could have been a great movie. Paranormal romance books are so popular right now and this is based on a young adult novel, like Twilight. Loup Garou (werewolf) girl loses her family to humans at a young age and finishes growing up in Bucharest with part of her clan. She has a human life, working in a chocolatier, but is pursued by clan leader, Olivier Martinez, who picks a new mate every seven years. She meets a young graphic artist and the love triangle is on. This should have been good but the movie falls flat--I think the main actress was too tough acting for the part--she needed that heroine vulnerability. Also, the clan leader was too old and had too thick a French accent--when he is rousing fellow werewolves you have to strain to hear what he is saying.
Il Divo, Italian. This movie has a fantastic reputation and nearly won the Cannes Film Festival's highest award--the Palm D'Orr. That said, it is a puzzling film with a whole new look into the world and history of Italian politics. A satirical look at an actual Italian prime minister's decades long reign, which ended in his repeated trials for corruption and ties to the Mafia, it is full of suble humor. The character of Andreotti, the Prime Minister, is someone I barely recognized--the stooped, intellectual, and coldly-intelligent Italian politician--not a world I am familiar with. It's funny how the Italians seem to pick politicians who are the opposite of good-looking (unlike in the United States). They seem to go more for gravitas--age and experience. You never really find out if Andreotti was guilty or not--he gets off scotts free in the end and is elected senator for life. Andreotti had lots of peculilar quotes that are treasured by the Italian public, for instance, "Power tires only those who do not have it," and "You sin in thinking bad of people, but, often, you guess right."
Il Divo, Italian. This movie has a fantastic reputation and nearly won the Cannes Film Festival's highest award--the Palm D'Orr. That said, it is a puzzling film with a whole new look into the world and history of Italian politics. A satirical look at an actual Italian prime minister's decades long reign, which ended in his repeated trials for corruption and ties to the Mafia, it is full of suble humor. The character of Andreotti, the Prime Minister, is someone I barely recognized--the stooped, intellectual, and coldly-intelligent Italian politician--not a world I am familiar with. It's funny how the Italians seem to pick politicians who are the opposite of good-looking (unlike in the United States). They seem to go more for gravitas--age and experience. You never really find out if Andreotti was guilty or not--he gets off scotts free in the end and is elected senator for life. Andreotti had lots of peculilar quotes that are treasured by the Italian public, for instance, "Power tires only those who do not have it," and "You sin in thinking bad of people, but, often, you guess right."
Thursday, February 4, 2010
February Movies
Katyn, Polish, sub-titled. Drama about the Soviet 1940 massacre of 20,000 Polish professional class which was covered up until 1990. This is such a good movie it is hard to describe. I'm starting to see that watching enough great movies is a higher education and civilizing influence. The Polish director's father was murdered in the Katyn forest and this movie is a tribute to a lost generation. The crime was compounded by the Soviets forcing the communist-ruled Polish people to repress any mention of it--the Soviets wanting the official truth to be the Nazis did it. Stalin ordered this incomprehensible act. There are many worldwide monuments to the Katyn massacre, including ones in Baltimore and New Jersey.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Two more movies in January
Munyurangabo, Rwanda, sub-titled. Great movie. The plot is revealed gradually; two friends leave a city to travel to where? They stop at one of the friend's family home where his welcome is uncertain from his father. This movie is among the greats of independent movies--the emotion and meaning are revealed in unexpected moments. You will know exactly what is going on and what it means. It's that good of a movie.
Avatar, 3-D. I finally made up my mind to see this when Roger Ebert said it won't be the same thing on a DVD at home. I dragged myself to the theatre on Sunday afternoon and it cost $9. Wow, it was phenomenal. All I can say is that when the aboriginal people decide to fight back, it is inspiring. I'm glad I went. There were Marines in the audience and Avatar had some great lines for them--you could here them laughing.
I'm looking forward to February and my movie queue is packed at Netflix.
Avatar, 3-D. I finally made up my mind to see this when Roger Ebert said it won't be the same thing on a DVD at home. I dragged myself to the theatre on Sunday afternoon and it cost $9. Wow, it was phenomenal. All I can say is that when the aboriginal people decide to fight back, it is inspiring. I'm glad I went. There were Marines in the audience and Avatar had some great lines for them--you could here them laughing.
I'm looking forward to February and my movie queue is packed at Netflix.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Movies in January.
Busby Berkely. 1930s extravaganza dance and musical movie director--shots from his big hits like 42nd Street. If you have ever seen those old movies that show hundreds of girls dancing around giant hats or waterfalls that is probably Busby Berkeley. One of my favorite scenes is 42nd Street--the music is catching. I didn't watch the whole movie though; about 4 of these were all I could handle.
The Hangover. Funny, funny movie I watched with my daughter and son-in-law at their house. My son-in-law had just mounted his 42 in TV over his fireplace. I tried to tell him that the TV was too high up and too far away--big screen TVs should be about 10 feet away, but you know this helpful information wasn't paid any attention to. The Hanover is a good movie to watch--hilarious and moves along very quickly. Lots of cussing which I like for some reason. Bachelor party in Las Vegas goes seriously wrong after a toast on top of their hotel building. They awake with no memory of the previous night but all kinds of bad consequences are revealed. Mike Tyson was very good and so was Heather Graham--playing a stripper who the dentist marries during the drunken spree.
Bruno. I got this because Roger Ebert recommended it and I also get all of his 3 1/2 and 4 star movies. I watched this the second night with my daughter and son-in-law--we were looking forward to this after having such good time watching The Hangover. Boy! were we sadly disappointed and disgusted. Trust me, you don't want to watch this film! Well, if you do, don't say I didn't warn you. If you do and like it post me a message. I am always trying to see the other point of view. The plot involves a gay, Austrian male model who invades the U.S. in search of celebrity-hood. This search involves all kinds of reality scenes with poor dupes, like Paula Abdul, who are set-up for outrageous scenarios with Bruno. For instance, Bruno goes on a real camping trip with Arkansas hunters. These are real people that are being filmed, and he tries to invade their tents in the middle of the night for sex. They are not amused.
Goodfellas, 1996 I think. Great Martin Scorcese movie about an Irish kid who idiolizes the mobsters in Brooklyn. He grows up and joines the criminals in their daily quest for money and a luxurious lifestyle. I loved the music in this movie--lots of the classic 60s rock playing to scenes of the old world mafia types, for instance the Eric Clapton son "Layla." The mafia is shown for what it is--not glamorous, although you could say that is one of their ironic quests. Great Scorcese scene of the guy and his fiance being shown with one camera take following them through the service entrance at The Copacabana to their table in the restaurant. You see this type of scene copied by lots of other directors--I just saw it in the TV series Six Feet Under when Claire and her boyfriend arrive a house to party.
True Blood, HBO series. I watched the first season. The imagery is striking. For instance, I was really grabbed by a scene of Bill, the vampire, waiting in a church kitchen with a bottle of his True Blood on the table by him. I liked how he kept asking the waitress, Sookie, "What are you?"
Funny People. I had to think for awhile to remember this movie--I see about 3 a week and this one didn't pop up right away in my memory. Actually, this was a very good movie with Adam Sandler. It's a serious/funny movie about a super-star comedian who gets a death sentence from his doctor. Nothing like being in the company of razor-sharp witted comedians. Lost of cussing, which I seem to like.
Gomorrah, Italian, sub-titled. Movie about the Comorra mob in Naples, Italy, it follows 4 different stories throughout. I had to force myself to watch this--it was recommended by Roger Ebert, but I was afraid of the violence. Well, there is bloody shooting and so on, but it is endurable. One story is about a young boy who starts running errands for the mob and it eventually pits him against his best friend and the friend's mother. Another story is two teenagers who raise havoc robbing cafes, stealing the mob's gun supply, and so on. They just want to make a name for themselves and don't listen to warnings. An unforgettable scene is the two of them on a deserted beach in speedos firing off massive amounts of ammo from the stolen guns. I appreciated the fact that a few characters in this movie seemed to have a conscience.
The Tudors, Showtime series about King Henry VIII. Not the best TV series for me anyway. King Henry as a young ruler doesn't have any redeeming qualities. The actor is actually a male model and all the acting seems to be about Janice Dickinson Modelling Agency types. I like sexy movies, but this just seemed empty to me. After watching this, I read up on Henry VIII--did you know that he celebrated his first wife's death by wearing all yellow and having festivals? Terrible, terrible man the more you find out. His 4th wife, Katherine Howard, was a youngster who flirted with other men--after all, Henry was 300 lbs by then, 30 years older, and had a smelly ulcer on his leg. He had her beheaded after two years.
Six Feet Under, HBO series. I stayed up too late one night and bought the first season from Amazon.com because I thought it looked promising. It is very good and it's about a family-run funeral home. I especially like the character of David, the gay funeral director.
(500) Days of Summer. Watched this with my daughter and son-in-law. None of us were crazy for it. It's an independent movie that got a lot of positive notice. Again, we thought we were looking for the funny "Hangover"-type movie but wound up with something else. It's about 500 days of a man's relationship with his girlfriend of 500 days--her name is Summer. I'll say one thing--the finaly rejection scene is very convincing.
Sherlock Holmes. Saw this with people from work and I loved it! Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as the fast-thinking, fast-calculating, Sherlock who is racing after the most evil bad guys in Victorian England. As funny as The Hangover! At last.
Let me know if you see anything good!
The Hangover. Funny, funny movie I watched with my daughter and son-in-law at their house. My son-in-law had just mounted his 42 in TV over his fireplace. I tried to tell him that the TV was too high up and too far away--big screen TVs should be about 10 feet away, but you know this helpful information wasn't paid any attention to. The Hanover is a good movie to watch--hilarious and moves along very quickly. Lots of cussing which I like for some reason. Bachelor party in Las Vegas goes seriously wrong after a toast on top of their hotel building. They awake with no memory of the previous night but all kinds of bad consequences are revealed. Mike Tyson was very good and so was Heather Graham--playing a stripper who the dentist marries during the drunken spree.
Bruno. I got this because Roger Ebert recommended it and I also get all of his 3 1/2 and 4 star movies. I watched this the second night with my daughter and son-in-law--we were looking forward to this after having such good time watching The Hangover. Boy! were we sadly disappointed and disgusted. Trust me, you don't want to watch this film! Well, if you do, don't say I didn't warn you. If you do and like it post me a message. I am always trying to see the other point of view. The plot involves a gay, Austrian male model who invades the U.S. in search of celebrity-hood. This search involves all kinds of reality scenes with poor dupes, like Paula Abdul, who are set-up for outrageous scenarios with Bruno. For instance, Bruno goes on a real camping trip with Arkansas hunters. These are real people that are being filmed, and he tries to invade their tents in the middle of the night for sex. They are not amused.
Goodfellas, 1996 I think. Great Martin Scorcese movie about an Irish kid who idiolizes the mobsters in Brooklyn. He grows up and joines the criminals in their daily quest for money and a luxurious lifestyle. I loved the music in this movie--lots of the classic 60s rock playing to scenes of the old world mafia types, for instance the Eric Clapton son "Layla." The mafia is shown for what it is--not glamorous, although you could say that is one of their ironic quests. Great Scorcese scene of the guy and his fiance being shown with one camera take following them through the service entrance at The Copacabana to their table in the restaurant. You see this type of scene copied by lots of other directors--I just saw it in the TV series Six Feet Under when Claire and her boyfriend arrive a house to party.
True Blood, HBO series. I watched the first season. The imagery is striking. For instance, I was really grabbed by a scene of Bill, the vampire, waiting in a church kitchen with a bottle of his True Blood on the table by him. I liked how he kept asking the waitress, Sookie, "What are you?"
Funny People. I had to think for awhile to remember this movie--I see about 3 a week and this one didn't pop up right away in my memory. Actually, this was a very good movie with Adam Sandler. It's a serious/funny movie about a super-star comedian who gets a death sentence from his doctor. Nothing like being in the company of razor-sharp witted comedians. Lost of cussing, which I seem to like.
Gomorrah, Italian, sub-titled. Movie about the Comorra mob in Naples, Italy, it follows 4 different stories throughout. I had to force myself to watch this--it was recommended by Roger Ebert, but I was afraid of the violence. Well, there is bloody shooting and so on, but it is endurable. One story is about a young boy who starts running errands for the mob and it eventually pits him against his best friend and the friend's mother. Another story is two teenagers who raise havoc robbing cafes, stealing the mob's gun supply, and so on. They just want to make a name for themselves and don't listen to warnings. An unforgettable scene is the two of them on a deserted beach in speedos firing off massive amounts of ammo from the stolen guns. I appreciated the fact that a few characters in this movie seemed to have a conscience.
The Tudors, Showtime series about King Henry VIII. Not the best TV series for me anyway. King Henry as a young ruler doesn't have any redeeming qualities. The actor is actually a male model and all the acting seems to be about Janice Dickinson Modelling Agency types. I like sexy movies, but this just seemed empty to me. After watching this, I read up on Henry VIII--did you know that he celebrated his first wife's death by wearing all yellow and having festivals? Terrible, terrible man the more you find out. His 4th wife, Katherine Howard, was a youngster who flirted with other men--after all, Henry was 300 lbs by then, 30 years older, and had a smelly ulcer on his leg. He had her beheaded after two years.
Six Feet Under, HBO series. I stayed up too late one night and bought the first season from Amazon.com because I thought it looked promising. It is very good and it's about a family-run funeral home. I especially like the character of David, the gay funeral director.
(500) Days of Summer. Watched this with my daughter and son-in-law. None of us were crazy for it. It's an independent movie that got a lot of positive notice. Again, we thought we were looking for the funny "Hangover"-type movie but wound up with something else. It's about 500 days of a man's relationship with his girlfriend of 500 days--her name is Summer. I'll say one thing--the finaly rejection scene is very convincing.
Sherlock Holmes. Saw this with people from work and I loved it! Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as the fast-thinking, fast-calculating, Sherlock who is racing after the most evil bad guys in Victorian England. As funny as The Hangover! At last.
Let me know if you see anything good!
More movies in December
Ballast: Rural Mississippi, independent film. Man commits suicide--man's twin brother who lives with him and runs a family convenience store with him also tries to shoot himself, distraught over the brother's death. Dead brother's ex-girlfriend and 9 year old son of man move onto twin brother's property as half of property was left to her in letter before suicide. Really good movie--slow moving like a lot of independent movies but certain scenes make it all worth it.
Y Tu Mama Tambien, Mexico, subtitled 2001. Really, really good! I bought this for $3 at Big Lots a year ago and never got around to watching it until this year's holiday season. Two young men, one a wealthy son and the other a middle class kid, attempt to seduce a married distant cousin. It's supposed to be funny and philosophical at the same time. The two men and the cousin, after she has a change of heart about them, take off for "Heaven's Mouth," a coastal beach which the men invented. It's not just a funny movie; there are juxtaposed scenes of from every day people's lives, for instance, following a maid throughout the wealthy kid's house as she takes him lunch--she calls him an affectionate name but he just brushes her off. The conclusion of this movie of this movie is perfect. Very wise movie.
Dirty Dancing; Havana Nights. Okay, okay. I watch stupid movies too. I liked the guy in this movie--he was one of the actors in Y Tu Mama Tambien and led me to watch that movie. The dance scenes were pretty good but they were always interrupted by some kind of action--the cuban revolution breaking out, etc. 1959 Cuba.
King of the Gypsies, 1981? I bought this at Big Lots for $3 and I had liked it many years before. Eric Roberts was beautiful at this time and stars as the son of a Gypsy man bent on leadership and vengeance. The whole family dynamics of gypsy clans is explored. One plus is dancing and music--very classy.
Up. Pixar cartoon. Senior citizen takes off on adventure by tying balloons to the top of his house with boy scout as a hideaway. He had been inspired by a 1930s adventurer who disappeared during a trip during that time (it reminded me of Richard Halliburton--an explorer who published books until his plane disappeared over the Persian Sea I think).
Dance With Me, with Vanessa Williams. I became interested in dance movies during the holiday season--there is nothing like good romance dance movies. (The male star is a Mexican singer who is a superstar there.) The plot involves his trip to the U.S. from Cuba to reconnect with his natural father, Kris Kristofferson, who runs a dance studio. Vanessa Williams is a bitter but sexy dancer and instructor who gradually is drawn into you know what. Dancing was great to watch.
Chocolat, with Johnny Depp. I finally got around to watching this movie after seeing it referred to in another movie, I Love You Man. It was worth watching--it has Alfred Molina, one of my favorite actors. A woman blows into a English village with her young daughter and opens a chocolat shop. The town patriarch is super religious and it's Lent. Johnny Depp is wicked and funny.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Among the cutest dogs on earth is the chihuahua. This cute little dog is lost in Mexico and her babysitter, a gardener and his non-spoiled chihuahua dog, and a local tough-guy German Shepherd come together to get Chloe out of trouble with a dog fighting ring.
Orphan. Scary horror movie recommended by Roger Ebert. I watched this on my big screen TV, an old one, with my daughter and son-in-law. They said they "didn't get a good feeling" from watching this movie, but boy, did it have our attention. Some gory scenes; for instance, who really wants to watch a poor nun who's only trying to help get beat to death? Also, it will puzzle you when you watch the 9-year old girl expertly load and handle a gun. My comment was "was she raised by the Mafia?" She cons a nice couple with a couple of children into ad0pting her--she initially appears artistic, quiet and thoughtful. She's also from Russia. The couple think they have hit the jackpot in the beginning.
Hump Day. Independent movie recommended by Roger Ebert. I thought this was going to be a funny movie along the lines of I Love You Man or The Hangover. I really didn't like this movie and it's one of the movies that I try to get out of my head for some time. It involves a married man reconnecting with an old bohemian college buddy--the buddy shows up in the middle of the night after traveling all over the world. I just didn't like how the man or his wife tolerated this behavior. Also the married man goes to a party the next day with the friend and gets sucked into a crazy plot to make a "hump film" of two heterosexual men having sex. They truely talk themselves into thinking this is a great idea. From the movie, I gather there is an actual Hump Fest? Anyway, I just couldn't help thinking what a bad idea this all was.
Y Tu Mama Tambien, Mexico, subtitled 2001. Really, really good! I bought this for $3 at Big Lots a year ago and never got around to watching it until this year's holiday season. Two young men, one a wealthy son and the other a middle class kid, attempt to seduce a married distant cousin. It's supposed to be funny and philosophical at the same time. The two men and the cousin, after she has a change of heart about them, take off for "Heaven's Mouth," a coastal beach which the men invented. It's not just a funny movie; there are juxtaposed scenes of from every day people's lives, for instance, following a maid throughout the wealthy kid's house as she takes him lunch--she calls him an affectionate name but he just brushes her off. The conclusion of this movie of this movie is perfect. Very wise movie.
Dirty Dancing; Havana Nights. Okay, okay. I watch stupid movies too. I liked the guy in this movie--he was one of the actors in Y Tu Mama Tambien and led me to watch that movie. The dance scenes were pretty good but they were always interrupted by some kind of action--the cuban revolution breaking out, etc. 1959 Cuba.
King of the Gypsies, 1981? I bought this at Big Lots for $3 and I had liked it many years before. Eric Roberts was beautiful at this time and stars as the son of a Gypsy man bent on leadership and vengeance. The whole family dynamics of gypsy clans is explored. One plus is dancing and music--very classy.
Up. Pixar cartoon. Senior citizen takes off on adventure by tying balloons to the top of his house with boy scout as a hideaway. He had been inspired by a 1930s adventurer who disappeared during a trip during that time (it reminded me of Richard Halliburton--an explorer who published books until his plane disappeared over the Persian Sea I think).
Dance With Me, with Vanessa Williams. I became interested in dance movies during the holiday season--there is nothing like good romance dance movies. (The male star is a Mexican singer who is a superstar there.) The plot involves his trip to the U.S. from Cuba to reconnect with his natural father, Kris Kristofferson, who runs a dance studio. Vanessa Williams is a bitter but sexy dancer and instructor who gradually is drawn into you know what. Dancing was great to watch.
Chocolat, with Johnny Depp. I finally got around to watching this movie after seeing it referred to in another movie, I Love You Man. It was worth watching--it has Alfred Molina, one of my favorite actors. A woman blows into a English village with her young daughter and opens a chocolat shop. The town patriarch is super religious and it's Lent. Johnny Depp is wicked and funny.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Among the cutest dogs on earth is the chihuahua. This cute little dog is lost in Mexico and her babysitter, a gardener and his non-spoiled chihuahua dog, and a local tough-guy German Shepherd come together to get Chloe out of trouble with a dog fighting ring.
Orphan. Scary horror movie recommended by Roger Ebert. I watched this on my big screen TV, an old one, with my daughter and son-in-law. They said they "didn't get a good feeling" from watching this movie, but boy, did it have our attention. Some gory scenes; for instance, who really wants to watch a poor nun who's only trying to help get beat to death? Also, it will puzzle you when you watch the 9-year old girl expertly load and handle a gun. My comment was "was she raised by the Mafia?" She cons a nice couple with a couple of children into ad0pting her--she initially appears artistic, quiet and thoughtful. She's also from Russia. The couple think they have hit the jackpot in the beginning.
Hump Day. Independent movie recommended by Roger Ebert. I thought this was going to be a funny movie along the lines of I Love You Man or The Hangover. I really didn't like this movie and it's one of the movies that I try to get out of my head for some time. It involves a married man reconnecting with an old bohemian college buddy--the buddy shows up in the middle of the night after traveling all over the world. I just didn't like how the man or his wife tolerated this behavior. Also the married man goes to a party the next day with the friend and gets sucked into a crazy plot to make a "hump film" of two heterosexual men having sex. They truely talk themselves into thinking this is a great idea. From the movie, I gather there is an actual Hump Fest? Anyway, I just couldn't help thinking what a bad idea this all was.
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